MVP Grassroots Training Camps return

The MVP Grassroots Athletics Training Camps are back on track after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The training camps, before this, took place uninterrupted on an annual basis for seven years, since 2013, and MVP Track Club's president, Bruce James, said it was important to resume the programme as soon as they could.

"MVP Grassroots Athletics Training Camps are crucial parts of the MVP legacy of making sure that the world-class training that we have, that has resulted in such tremendous results, is passed on to other students and other coaches throughout the island.

"MVP wants Jamaica to do well, and wants Jamaica to excel in track and field athletics, and therefore we are not going to keep the excellent, world-class training methods that we have to ourselves. We want to spread it all across the island to make sure that as many Jamaican student athletes and coaches as possible can benefit," James said.

Although the initiative went two years without being staged, James said the operations of the camps for this year are not affected by the pandemic.

"That has not had any impact. We have our coaches, we have our admin team in place, we have everything that is required to roll out this world-class training programme and we are just ready to go," he said.

He noted, however, that there are some key changes to the camps, including how the initiative is being sponsored.

"The primary highlight is that Puma has come on board with additional gear that they will be giving to every single student athlete who participates. National Commercial Bank will be coming on to share some financial strategies and financial literacy with the student athletes and the coaches.

"Wisynco, through their brands WATA, Powerade, Tru-Juice and Tru-Shake, is going to ensure hydration for all the athletes and coaches throughout all three training camps. This is critical because this is not a theoretical training camp. This is a practical training camp, where the athletes will be learning to hurdle, jump, throw, sprints, do the relays and distant running, so they need the hydration," James said.

"Most importantly, the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) has continued to demonstrate great support for events that develop sports here in Jamaica. So we're very happy for the support of all the partners that have come on board," he added.

In the previous staging of the event, scholarships were awarded to outstanding student athletes, but James said this might not be the case this year.

"There are no scholarships being offered at this time, but certainly, if the athletes excel, there's a possibility that they could then be offered a scholarship to various places, not just at the MVP institution," he said.

The training camps will be for specially invited coaches and athletes, and the first, targeting central Jamaica, will be on Saturday at G.C. Foster College. This will be followed by another on the weekend of October 22 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex for western Jamaica, with the final one taking place on October 29 at the National Stadium for participants from eastern Jamaica.